Eye - Wajirwajir.org/wajir live/09 - Wajir Live - sept-nov 2012.pdfAbass Mohamed, an aspiring MP Wajir East” story on page 4. “I am sincerely undertaking to propel Wajir County

Wajir Live Newsletter: All You Need to Know About Everything that Matters

Wajir LiveNewsletter

RelationshipI discovered his secret mariage through Facebook. Pg. 8

OPINION.There is hope for Wa-jir in new era, but se-curity must be fixed. Pg. 9

Sep. - Nov. 2012 | ISSUE 09 | Ksh100

FEATURE Eastleigh: The City of Dust, Mud, Gold and Limitless Op-portunities. Pg. 10

“For many decades, Wajir East has been grabbling with many socio-economic problems. I think I have what it takes to face this challenge head on.”Abass Mohamed, an aspiring MP Wajir East” story on page 4.

“I am sincerely undertaking to propel Wajir County to great-er heights. I know challenges abound but together we will overcame.”Mohamed Abdi Mohamud, an aspiring Wajir County Governor. Story on page 10

WAJIR OLD MOSQUE

Fact File

70 years old and still towering on..

pg. 3

Eye on

2013

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Wajir Live newsletter | September - November 2012 2

WAJIR OLD MOSQUESeventy years old and still towering on! The mosque built in 1943 has an imposing minaret that has over the years become the trademark of Wajir town towering over other buildings. Pg 3.

He is popularly known as Abass KK-a name he admits he doesn’t where he got it from. He aspires to clinch the Wajir Parliamentary seat in the coming Gen-eral Election. Does he have what takes? He talked to Wajir Live…… Pg 4.

Eastleigh: The City of Dust, Mud, Gold and Limitless Opportunities.Those who have visited the down town market of Eastleigh will tell you that this is no ordinary place. Eastleigh is the Kenyan version of Dubai..... Pg 5.

Lest we forget.As the country is preparing for what is billed as the biggest and most complex general election in Africa, many strange things are bound to happen. There will new-found love for ‘my tribe’ and my ‘kinsmen’. Pg. 8

There is hope for Wajir in new era, but security must be fixed.For decades after independence, Wajir was one vast, isolated, dry, un-derdeveloped and dangerous place. People were exposed to the dangers of famine, clan wars and the crossfire between security forces and the Shifta bandits. This is the environment in which I was born in 1972 and grew until 1992 when I left Wajir for the first time for a whole new life via the military. Pg. 9

My pledge, my vision for Wajir County Hon. Mohamed Abdi Muhamud, popu-larly referred to as Mwalimu Pekee, is not new to Wajir and in fact Kenyan politics. His 10-year stint as a Member of Parlia-ment for Wajir East from 1997 to 2007 and as Minister for Regional Develop-ments has seen him shoot into the public limelight. He was arguably the most articulate, powerful legislator in Northern Kenya during his time. Pg. 10

‘I discovered his secret marriage through Facebook’ “Yes, it was very bitter reality to ac-cept, but I faced it. I was there!” This was the answer of Nadia (not her real name) when I asked her about how she looked upon her life a year after discovering her husband's secret mar-riage. Pg. 14

g


Mohamed AbdullahiWajir County is one of the three counties in the expansive north eastern province according to the devolved government created un-der the new constitution promul-gated in 2010. The county lies ap-proximately 700 kilometers to the North east of the Kenyan capital Nairobi and is inhabited by the mainly pastoralist Somali ethnic group who profess the Islamic faith. The opening of the county for commerce by the locals de-spite government neglect and the improved security situation has however attracted pockets of oth-er Kenyan ethnic groups into the county making it ‘a cosmopolitan county on the take off ’. The county is an epitome of marginalization by successive Kenyan regimes and has borne the brunt of horrific mili-tary operation to ostensibly clear ‘roaming bandits and people with insurgency minds’. The many years

of continuous economic blackout has seen many institutions in all facets of life crumbling and the entire region being considered a disciplinary work station for errant officers. This has virtually oblit-erated the image of the county and until the turn of the century many did not ever comprehend the exist-ence of Wajir County and the many incidences of government brutality that were swept under the carpet. Welcome to Wajir County and switch gears to a more vibrant county ready to claim its posi-tion in the first changing Kenya. A stroll into Wajir town indicates beehive of activity, the local ‘soko mjinga’ and the ever busy livestock market attest to this. The rumbling sound of low flying passenger planes ready to land and take off at the Wajir international Airport has added a new perspective to the road transport nightmare that had become synonymous with this part

of the country that I fondly call ‘the other Kenya’. Driving into Wajir town from whichever direction and by any means and you are immediately welcomed by the unmistakable sight of mosques dotting the area and their imposing minarets, an indication of the dominance of the Islamic faith. The town boasts of rich Islamic heritage that dates back to the start of the 20th cen-tury and the most ancient mosque-Masjid Nur is an unmistakable attestation to this. Mosques have always remained the most revered religious monument and institu-tion in any Muslim community and as such are upheld with much respect and constitute an impor-tant source of education. All over the world, ancient mosques have always marveled architectural de-signs with others for example the Great mosque in Djenne, Mali be-

A view of Wajir old mosque at sunset.

WAJIR OLD MOSQUE: 70 years old and still towering on !

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Fact File

Eye on 2013

I am the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Kenya Livestock Marketing Council (KLMC). I was born in Wajir in 1958. Went to Wajir Primary School and thereafter attended Mandera High School. I later joined Egerton University attained Diploma in Range Management, BSC in Nat-ural Resource Management, Post-graduate Diploma in Sustainable Local Economic Development IHS, Erasmus University in The Netherlands, Continuing MBA in Strategic Marketing. I am a family man with five children.With the many decades I served both in the public and private sec-tor, I decided to plunge myself into the muddy waters that is politics. I think I have what it takes to lead Wajir East Constituency and take them to greater heights in terms of socio-economic development, nurturing unity and peace among the communities that I intend to serve. With my unmatched expe-rience and with the will of Allah,

I can competitively lead. Differ-ent people want to seek election for different purposes. Mine is not to amass wealth. I am intending to salvage Wajir East constituency from the bottomless ditch that is poverty, hopelessness and inepti-tude. For many decades, Wajir East has been grabbling with many socio-economic problems. I think I have what it takes to face this chal-lenge head on. We cannot afford to wait for more years as the rest are making strides in making the lives of their people change for the bet-ter.I must say from the onset that I am not going to perform wonders. But under the new constitutional dis-pensation, everything is focused on the county governments and it will not be a business as usual. The county system demands different mindset and new ways of doing things. As a visionary leader, I am going to engage the electorates in decision-making. I will refuse to be a fence sitter. I will be accessible

He is popularly known as Abass KK, a name he admits he doesn’t know exactly where he got it from. He dons an inviting smile. When Wajir Live visited him for this interview at around 3:00pm at his

office in Nairobi city center, he was already seated waiting for us. “Sorry for the delay” we guile-fully apologized. “Don’t mind” he convincingly replied. His full names are Abass Sheikh Mohamed. And as the race to the next general election gains momentum, he is among the many individuals who so far declared their interest in vying for the newly split Wajir East parliamentary seat. He talked to Wajir Live’s ADOW MOHAMED and ABASS ADAN.

and answerable to all. I will be in handy when I am needed. When the leader trust gatekeepers and give special preference to some while ignoring the rest, then we are sowing seeds of mistrust and that’s where the trouble begins. I will listen to the needy unswerv-ingly. My core aim is to make the lives of the constituents better and my allegiance is to Allah, the Cre-ator.Poverty has remained the bane of our people. We depend on live-stock as the economic mainstay and the recurrent drought has con-demned us to a world of despera-tion. Our problem has also been electing leaders who lack the tact and demeanour to serve their peo-ple. For how long are we going to cry foul whenever our inactions backfire on us? Don’t you think we have ourselves to blame for whatever we are going through? In every electioneering period, we

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‘Trust me, I will serve you with diligence’

Eastleigh: The City of Dust, Mud, Gold and Limitless Opportunities

Those who have visited the down town market of Eastleigh will tell you that this is no ordinary place. Eastleigh is the Kenyan version of Dubai but with some major con-trasts that make the shopping ex-periences world apart.This busy business hub is majorly dominated by the business peo-ple of Somali decent majority of who profess Islamic faith. Their ambitions and hard work have led unprecedented development in real-estate with massive shopping malls being erected every other day.But it is these same ambitions that have ruined the broth for them. Due to lack of proper planning and the desire to expand instantly the investors in the Eastleigh Shop-ping Centre created a disaster that no one seems to have a solution for. Blocked sewages and foul smelling streets have become syn-onymous with Eastleigh. In fact the drainage and sanitation is so bad that all the roads have been eroded by stray waters running off the blocked sewerage tunnels.

Littering is no offense in this busy market place. The Somalis here seem to be in so much hurry, that basic good manners escape them. This has led to dumping of plastic bugs all over, the effect of which is worsens blockage of most of drain-age tunnels here. It is as if the city council has forgotten this place ex-ists. The irony is the City Coun-cil of Nairobi officers at Eastleigh are too busy collecting revenue and extorting these businessmen without caring to provide service to them.Lack of planning has also made it impossible for drivers of personal vehicles to find parking. Put sim-ply do not dare drive to Eastleigh when going for shopping because finding a little space to park your Toyota Vitz is a nightmare. Leave your automobile in the CBD and jump on the noisy Matatu number

9 or if the noise is too much you might consider boarding the old dusty and often prone to breaking-down number 6.For these reasons many elite and professional people avoid this little Kenyan Dubai City like the plague. They would rather buy goods from the CBD even if they know per-fectly well that these things go for half the price in Eastleigh.But for those who dare take this journey through the mud and dust, the rewards can be quite amaz-ing. During these harsh economic times, shopping at Eastleigh can save you a fortune. For starters, al-most all the stuff you buy from the stalls in the CBD comes from East-leigh. From cosmetics, to clothes, colognes to groceries, this business hub has it all at wholesale price. The need for essential services has led to the establishment of various companies. Major hotels such as Grand Royal, Gulf Palace, Barakat Hotel, Andalus and the latest No-mad Palace offer five star quality accommodation and related ser-vices. Major travel agents, banks, hospitals, forex bureaus, super-markets, ICT firms and other pro-fessional companies have been set up in Eastleigh.This has made Eastleigh the next frontier in terms of where decent employment and jobs can be found. For professionals who cannot find jobs in the neat CBD and the pres-tigious up market, it is perhaps the time you cast your net to this new fishing grounds. As for the service providers, business has never been better. Establishing your company in Eastleigh now is a good choice and one that guarantees a better Return On Investment (ROI).

Feature


This busy business hub is majorly domi-nated by the business people of Somali decent, their ambitions and hard work have led unprecedented development in real-estate with massive shopping malls being erected every other day.

home and serve their people. Of course we will do that by creating favourable working conditions for them. We will endeavour to pay the fees for students pursuing medical courses on one condition: that when they graduate they will serve Wajir East constituents for a minimum of five years. We must ask our-selves who will treat our sick mum and dads if we seek what we call white-collar jobs or better work-ing environment elsewhere. Again,

it beats logic why we should not have at least one re-ferral hospital in the county. It is shameful when we keep on sending our sick to Garissa and Nairobi

for minor ailment. It is unaccepta-ble. I will pay attention to the disad-vantaged members of our society. There must be special kitty to ca-ter for the physically and mentally challenged. I will create a Mathare-

are made to believe that things will change for the better. The more things change the more they re-main the same. The days we elect someone be-cause of clan X or clan Y or how deeps his pockets are then, let’s be prepared to kiss any sort of de-velopment goodbye. We need to interrogate the personal capabil-ity of every individual not how bulging his pockets are, not how many hundreds he unleashed on the voter and the vulnerable but how focused and realistic his/her manifestoes are and the past per-formance records. We must look at the integrity of the people we elect. As Muslims we must advocate for transparency in the management of the public coffers. Wajir, being the cradle of educa-tion in the former Northern Fron-tier Districts with being the first primary school established in 1948, Wajir secondary in 1960s we ought to do better. We must cre-ate competitive learning environ-ment for all. I will give focus to early childhood education through support of Madarasa, Tahfid, nurs-eries and give more focus on girl child education.. Will empower and motivate the teachers through creation of enabling and conducive working environment, Job motiva-tion and incentives. Will also give incentives and encourage the per-forming student through scholar-ships, prize awards. We must man-age our bursary funds well. Under my leadership CDF, Bursary and any other development committees will be all inclusive without fear or favour. There has been rampant corruption in the way we handle the devolved funds. Something has to change here.Our roads have remained more like cattle tracks. Road network is cru-cial to any critical socio-economic development. It is pity that since

independence, there has never been a kilometer of tarmac road all the way from Garissa to Mandera. Wajir County has now six constitu-encies. If we can pull our resources together, for five years I think we can at least do something about our feeder roads and Tarmac Wajir- Garissa / mandera road. With de-termination and willpower, we can do it. As a county, we can lobby for funds directly from multi- national and well-wishers without neces-s a r i l y l o o k i n g up to the c e n t r a l g o v e r n -ment.O u r h e a l t h sector is in dire state. Our hospitals are in limbo. Although pervious and present Members of Parliament have tried their best in establishing some dispensaries, the irony is that some of these facili-ties are direly understaffed, drugs are not enough too. I will encour-age our boys and girls who gradu-ate from medical schools to come

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READY FOR THE TASK AHEAD

Abass Sheikh Mohamed during inter-view.

Photo:Mohamed Ali

. It is pity that since independence, there has never been a kilometer of tarmac road all the way from

Garissa to Mandera.

Eye on 2013


like section within Wajir hospital or its environs for the mentally challenged. We can no longer ig-nore their plights. It is time they feel to be part of the community.Our livestock potential has not been exploited fully. We must fo-cus on animal health, marketing and drought mitigation. I have been in the livestock industry for over thirty years and I know with good marketing strategy, we can have a robust sector that can compete globally. As the CEO of KLMC I have tried to open up the livestock market into the Middle East and regionally into Egypt, Mauritius, Zaire and more recently we ex-ported more than 25,000 livestock to Egypt and Mauritius and this was purely my initiative. Last year we disbursed Ksh. 57 million to women and youth groups who are in the livestock business in North-eastern counties. We have enabled livestock farmers access credit facilities and borrow free-interest loans from Islamic Banks. Many sprouting settlements too are en-dangering grazing land. We need to control the emergence of unnec-essary and unplanned settlements. It is not a solution to our problems.In sanitation, I think the incumbent MP has done his best by introduc-ing the first sewerage system in Wajir. Mine is to continue from where he will leave. The bucket latrine must be phased out in the long- run. It has greatly dented the image of wajir town.I am aware that there is acute short-

age of jobs among the youth. But then time has come for the youth to not only look for white-collar jobs but must also engage in self-employ-ment. They must accept the reality. I

will empower the youth to be self driven economically by engaging them on meaningful incoming gen-erating activities and equip poly-technics that provide vocational training such as ICT, mechanics, masonry, tailoring, carpentry etc. With these, they can also provide employment for the others too. Further, I will make sure the youth are represented in the management of the constituency matters such as the CDF. They will not be side-lined as it has been in the past.One other mega project which has been under-utilized is the Wa-jir International Airport. First and foremost we must de-militarized

and commercialize the airport. The Military camp has to be moved away from the Airport to make it more accessible. As it stands now it is as if it is used for security checks for planes from Somalia only. This airport can absolutely do better. We can make it to be what is called ‘dry port’ where we can export our livestock products and other services directly from Wajir to international markets. We already have an abattoir which is under construction and by the time it is ready, I think this airport will be useful then more than ever. I will engage potential investors to come and invest in the county. I will work with professionals to see how we can improve the lives of our people.Insha’Allah if I am elected, Wajir East constituents should expect more from their MP. We will walk together in this journey. I want them to think differently. They must not be enticed with handouts. They must think of their destiny. Thanks to Wajir Live for giving me this opportunity to talk to my voters Wabillahi Tawfiq.


As a visionary leader, I am going to engage the electorates in

decision-making. I will refuse to be a fence sitter. I will be

accessible and answerable to all.

Feature


Abass talks to participants during livestock marketing programme. Photo/courtesy

Lest we forgetBy Adow MohamedAsalamu Aleikum, good people. As the country is preparing for what is billed as the biggest and most com-plex general election in Africa, many strange things are bound to happen. There will new-found love for ‘my tribe’ and my ‘kinsmen’. There will be ghosts ‘leaders’ who will sprout like the mushroom singing what can best pass as a serenade. Already the drums are beating hard. Tribal chief-tains have met and ‘strategized’ how they can unite and field one of their ‘own’. As long as I can remember, there has never been such as a high-scaled meeting before where who is who in the political and social spec-tra have attended. In any case there has been back-stabbing and mistrust among these communities/people. I wish such forums were used to preach peace and cohesion among communities. Millions of shil-lings were worthlessly squandered in these gatherings. This money could have seen struggling students through universities and colleges for years. Never mind the archi-tects of this conglomeration have never bothered to ask who among the people they purportedly want to lead have slept with their bellies empty, how many have dropped out of school for lack of support, how many have died in our pathetic hos-pitals due to lack of medical care. What they do care however, is how best they can continue eating, how best they can amass wealth and how smart they reward their cronies and sycophants. What pains me is how foolishly we can swallow their poi-soned baits. How soon we imag-ine all is well. We never learn. We dance ourselves lame and foam at mouth corners as if our lives depend

on it. We thoughtlessly grin, clap and bang tables when a conceited comment is made by charlatans who only think of how proper he/she will make a kill if his/her plans go through. Mind you, now that the county government will be an inter-esting thing to see, squanderers ex-pect to have a field day. That’s why there are much heat and no light.Let me address the youth now because it is future that is being squandered. As the German phi-losopher Friedrich Wilhelm puts it rightly, the surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently.” Comrades, many a times I made a personal plea on these pages why we must put our house in order. Why we must hold the bull by the horns. We are always told that the youth are the leaders of tomorrow. Really? When will that tomorrow come? Don’t you think it is time for Wajir County Youth Revolu-tion? For how long are we going to be rubber stamps for the powers that be? Don’t you think we can use our brains and brawns to drive the county agenda? As the elec-tions come closer, the people most sought after are you: the youth. And interestingly it is you who suffer most under corrupt, insensitive and tactless leadership. Let politicians not lie to you again. You may ask how you can do that as if you have a truth meter. Interrogate them, en-gage them and do not swallow their ‘I will make your lives better’ pub-licity stunt. Hold them accountable for what they say. Let them sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU). Let them put pledges to pa-per. Me think that the time of the youth has come but that only is not enough. We can no longer be fence-sitters. We can no longer cry foul? The future is here. We must grab it. Now.As for the aspiring candidates, in the name of Allah if you are the type of person who cannot uphold fairness

and sincerity among the people you intend to lead please stand aside. Allah will hold you accountable. Remember you solemnly swore by the Noble Qur’an that you will ex-ecute your duties without prejudice and that you will at all-time practice equality. As one of the aspiring can-didates in Wajir East rightly puts it elsewhere in this newsletter, leader-ship is not about amassing wealth. It is about serving the poor mums who die with their babies tucked on their backs. It is about making the lives of the poor better. It is about equipping our hospitals. It is about enriching our education system and our schools. It is about improving and rehabilitating our ailing live-stock industry. Amr ibn Murrah said to Mu’awiyah: I heard the Messen-ger of Allah, peace be upon him, say, and “There is no leader who closes the door to someone in need, one suffering in poverty, except that Allah closes the gates of the heav-ens from him when he is suffering in poverty.” So Mu’awiyah appointed a man to look after the needs of the people. (Sunan At-Tirmidhi). In an-other Hadith “Every one of you is a caretaker, and every caretaker is responsible for what he is caretaker of.”(Bukhari and Muslim). My Allah gives us abundant wisdom to choose our leaders wisely. Amin.

Comment


We are always told that the youth are

the leaders of tomor-row. Really? When will that tomorrow come? Don’t you think it is

time for Wajir County Youth Revolution?

There is hope for Wajir in new era, but security

must be fixedBy Major (Rtd) Bashir H. Abdullahi

For decades after independence, Wajir was one vast, isolated, dry, underdeveloped and dangerous place. People were exposed to the dangers of famine, clan wars and the crossfire between security forces and the Shifta bandits. This is the environment in which I was born in 1972 and grew until 1992 when I left Wajir for the first time for a whole new life via the mili-tary.Life was a daily struggle for survival. Today, so much has changed and there is more hope as we go into the new devolution era. However, the dangers that can bring down the county, like the Al-Shabaab threat, are never far away. Obviously a lot has to be done for the people of Wajir to feel that they are fully in Kenya. It will be up to the people and leaders of the county to uti-lise the funds to be provided to improve their lot.Getting an education was a big challenge. Schools were few and the teachers and facilities even fewer. Yet we were expected to sit the same exams as those in Alli-ance or Mang'u. Because of lack of road links with the rest of Ken-ya, even travelling out of Wajir in search of a better life was almost impossible.In July 1992 when I joined the army, together with other recruits from the region we had to be air-lifted to make it. "When I got on that military plane on a journey that finally took me to the Military Academy in Nakuru for cadet of-

ficer training, I felt like those who were in Tom Mboya's famous 'air-lift to America must have felt. "For me, coming to "Kenya" from Wajir was like going to the US.Had it not been for the military transport, I probably would not have made it to Nakuru on my own. The same would have ap-plied to many of my colleagues re-cruited that July.After the recruitment at Wajir Sta-dium, we were airlifted by the fol-lowing day to Eldoret. The plane passed through all the other coun-ties of Northern Kenya including Tana River to pick other successful candidates.We were all taken to the Recruits Training School, Eldoret where we

stayed for a whole month ahead of our reporting to Nakuru.As our fellow recruits from the rest of Kenya were relaxing at home, we were already experiencing mil-itary life even before the official training begun.The reason for this was that the military, through the wise counsel of the then CGS Gen Mohamud Mohamed, thought that if the re-cruits from Northern Kenya were left on their own to report to Na-kuru a month later for training, a majority of them would not make it. Road links between Wajir and the rest of the country were non-

existent.After one month in Eldoret with biting cold and unprogrammed military drills to keep us busy, we all lost some weight. We were fi-nally transported to Nakuru and were subjected to weight scales together with our colleagues from the rest of Kenya who reported that same morning from their homes.On the weighing scale, we all could not attain the 55kg mini-mum required. During the recruit-ment process in Wajir, we were all past the 55kg mark. We were told to step aside and wait our fate.It was then that the then Col-lege Commandant Maj Gen John Cheruiyot (he later became the Army Commander) passed by and asked what the matter was. We ex-plained our predicament and the exclaimed - 'wacha waendelee, watapunguza hata zaidi baadaye training'. And so we were taken in.We would not have gone through such stress had it been easy to

travel from Wajir to Nakuru on our own.At least the Military had foresight, what about the many oth-ers who were select-ed to join colleges or other national schools and could not manage to report

in time?Today things have improved great-ly as there are daily buses that ply the route to/from Nairobi and for those who can afford Sh4, 000 they can travel by air.Another challenge in the county is insecurity. Starting from the Shifta war, to banditry and then clan clashes which led to the 'Wagalla massacre, insecurity has been the bane of Wajir.It adversely affects trade, health and education. Government re

Getting an education was a big chal-lenge. Schools were few and the teach-

ers and facilities even fewer. Yet we were expected to sit the same exams as

those in Alliance or Mang'u.

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Opinion


“My pledge, my vision for Wajir County”

Hon. Mohamed Abdi Muhamud, popularly referred to as Mwal-imu Pekee, is not new to Wajir and in fact Kenyan politics. His 10-year stint as a Member of Parliament for Wajir East from 1997 to 2007 and as Minister for Regional Developments has seen him shoot into the public limelight. He was arguably the most articulate, powerful legislator in Northern Kenya during his time. His shining political career was unexpectedly dimmed by a new comer to the political scene, Mohamed Ibrahim Elmi (Mohamed Fai) who is now the Minister for Northern Kenya and Other Arid Lands. After being in the political cold for about five years, Mwalimu Pekee is back with a bang. This time he wants to be the first governor of Wajir County. Wajir Live Editor, ADOW MOHAMED had an interactive chat with the man who says he has what it takes to lead Wajir County into greatness and opulence.

At the outset, allow me to convey my greetings to the people of Wajir County. It is about five years now that I have been out of parliament and away from direct link with my people. It has been great serving them for ten years. I hope Wajir people in general and Wajir East constituents in particular had the perfect opportunity to compare my style of leadership and that of my successor. By now they must have a story to tell. I think losing my seat was pleasure in disguise because it has re-ener-gised, re-invigorated and has gaven me the timely opportunity and the prospect to reflect and take stock. I learnt my mistakes and as the wise saying goes ‘Mistakes are, af-ter all, the foundations of success, and if a man does not know what a thing is, it is at least an increase in knowledge if he knows what it is not’. That’s why I am now more

than ever feeling the urge to serve the people of Wajir, this time in a bigger role: as their governor! The support and goodwill I have in the entire County has immensely motivated me to put my best foot forward and aim another shot at politics. It is my sincere hope that I will be gladly accepted by the peo-ple of Wajir. I understand many challenges abound in Wajir rang-ing from poverty, illiteracy, poor infrastructure, unemployment and diseases. I know it is not going to be a walk in the park now that the county governments will be in place. This will portend greater challenge. It is going to be dif-ferent approach in the way we do things. It will all depend on how cleverly we manage our matters as a county. To start with we must have a stra-tegic plan in which we can use and set our goals both long term and

short term. We must share our re-sources equitably, serve the elec-torates without prejudice. Affordability and availability of water resources will be given the much-needed importance. We must embrace and accept that wa-ter is life. From time immemorial many of our people and livestock have succumbed to lack of water occasioned by perennial droughts. We cannot allow such things to continue in the 21st Century. We must develop innovative ways in which we can avail safe drinking water to our people. And by the way scientifically, waters of Wajir are found not fit for human con-sumption. The prevalent throat cancer in Wajir can partly attribut-ed to such kind of water. We must therefore endeavour to provide safe drinking to our people no mat-ter what.

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Eye on 2013

Wajir Live newsletter | September - December 2012 10

ing designated a UNESCO world heritage. It is about 6pm in Wajir town, the evening sun is slowly lowering itself in the western Horizon cast-ing beautiful shades over the land, the birds are slowly chirping as they return to their nest and soon the dusk is approaching. The town will be engulfed in an eerie cover of darkness that conceals all the night happenings and hardwork-ing citizens will be retiring for the night after an eventful day at their work places. The scorching tropi-cal heat of the day has transformed itself into an evening breeze that cools the tired minds and muscles of hardworking citizens. The mosque built in 1943 has an imposing minaret that has over the years become the trademark of Wajir town towering over other buildings. The minaret built with unimaginable precision stands out elegantly and points to a rich ar-chitecture that existed at the time. The call for prayers(Adhaan) has for a long time reverberated across the town and has become an iden-tity in itself, even those who do not profess the islamic faith know its importance. “The call for prayer is like a time keeper for me, for in-stance I know its 12.30pm when

the call comes at midday” says Mr. Muriithi who resides nearby. The mosque has long been con-sidered as a central point for the diffusion of Islamic knowledge for the entire region way before the emergence of Quranic schools and madarasas. Faithfulls who are now Octogenarians and who lived at the time of construction speak of Nostalgia. “We used to walk all the way to masjid Nur for prayers and Quranic lessons. It was differ-ent from now when we have many mosques”, says mzee Abdi as he gazes towards the mosque perhaps remembering those good old days. The mosque which has a capacity of an estimated 1000 faithful and has some ancient structures that points to the level of architecture at the time of construction. It is the most revered religious monument con-structed entirely from dried bricks, plastered and is the only surviving example of distinctive architecture. The existence of Palm trees on the back yard of the mosque paints to an ambitious project the architec-ture had to establish a lash green garden that can be enjoyed by the later generation.

Once inside the mosque, you dis-cover the mag-nificent struc-tures all suited to ensuring a fully fledged religious institution. The inside section has painted walls with religious inscriptions and phrases on the walls all pointing to Islamic tradi-tions and teach-ings. Just above

the imam’s section, are inscribed the Islamic creed and the construc-tion date. There are mini libraries that look ordinary but on closer look have ancient Islamic manu-scripts and books. The spacing and ventilation within the mosque seems to be well taken care of per-haps the architecture must have thought of the scorching heat of the cruel, unforgiving tropical sun. The mosque even as it counts almost half a century since its in-ception, is still adored and revered by the faithfulls. It still serves as an important institution in the dis-semination of Islamic teachings. Quranic Lessons and other Islamic literature are transmitted from one generation to another in line with the Islamic traditions where the mosque always served as the major source of both Islamic and conven-tional knowledge.The local muadhin calls for the evening prayer and a multitude of believers start streaming into the mosque to offer one of the five daily prayers in the Islamic faith. As I leave the mosque after the end of the evening prayer, I can’t help gazing at this monumental piece of architecture that has stood the test of time and still dares the forces of Nature.

Fact File


Wajir Live newsletter | September - December 2012 11

The mosque which has a capacity of an estimated 1000 faithful and has some an-cient structures that points to the level of architecture at the time of construction.

tential to catapult Wajir County into economic prosperity. We must therefore demilitarize and open it up to the public. We can export our products directly to the Mid-dle and Far East markets. We can-not afford to continue using it for ‘security-check’ purpose only. It has to serve bigger purpose and mark my words; we will attain that, Insha’Allah. We should also have an airstrip in every district in the County and rehabilitate the existing ones like Khorof-Harar, Habaswein and Bute airstrips to facilitate aerial movements of our products and people. Poor road network has been tena-cious in the county. By liaising with other counties such as Man-dera, Garissa and Moyale, we will make sure we pull our resources together. I will try to convince fel-low governors to play their part in seeing to it that our road networks are greatly improved. We will also

Livestock is our economic lifeline. Poor markets and diseases has been the bane of this all-important segment of our economy. We must build modern abattoirs. We must invest in the leather industry. Ad-equate transport and qualified per-sonnel will be provided to enhance service delivery.On food security we shall embark on food production by harvesting flash water through construction of huge dams and utilized not only for irrigation but also for human as well as livestock use. The food produced will be purchased by the county government which will be inturn be distributed to the poor as relief food.Since independence, the education standard in the region has been dis-mal. Performance in national ex-ams has been rather disappointing. There are no tertiary institutions or even constituent colleges in the county. Under my leadership I in-tend to embark on an aggressive mission to uplift our educational standard right from primary to ter-tiary level. I will support our bright but poor students through scholar-ships and bursaries. There are no reasons whatsoever why we should not take our children to school now that basic education is free. We will make sure we will implement the Children’s Act and prosecute parents that do not take children to school. It is further unfortunate that only 10% of our children go to school and out of this only 2% progress to high school. Due to the nomadic way of life, children are always moved out of schools to cater for livestock. But adequate boarding facilities can be a good approach to help our people retain their children in schools. The bur-sary scheme must be enhanced and given to deserving students. For a long time, the way we distributed the bursaries has been wanting.

Under my leadership, the bursary will be dis-tributed fairly devoid of politics and crony-ism. Those joining universities must be encouraged to pursue technical and scien-tific courses like engi-neering and medicine to adequately fill the demand we have for such services.Somalis are known for their entrepreneur-ial astuteness around the world. We must therefore create con-ducive environment by essentially improv-ing the terms of doing business. We must en-courage the youth and women to apply for soft loans now that Islamic bank-ing has taken root in the country. We must maintain peace and tran-quility for business progress. We will reassure and support those who intend to invest in the live-stock market especially in the meat industry. We must engage, create confidence and support potential investors. I am willing to initiate a programme where we link Wajir County to other counties like the United State where the county sys-tem has been successful. We will engage developed Muslim coun-tries like Indonesia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates to help us in many fields specially in the processing and service industries. As Muslims, I am sure they will develop interest in coming to work with us. We share experience and if need arises we will import their expertise and technical know-how. We will embolden all Wajirians in the diaspora to become good am-bassadors of the county.The Wajir airport is acutely under-utilized. This facility has huge po-

Mohamed Abdi Mohamud makiing a point during interview photo/Mohamed Ali

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lobby for funds from donors. By the end of the first five-year period, at least we would have tarmacked the trunk roads connecting the nei-bouring counties.Youth make about 60% of our population. There are acute job-lessness and redundancy among the youth. We must find a solution to these problems by equipping them with the necessary skills. We must equip our technical institu-tions. Youth polytechnics must be adequately staffed and necessary equipment provided. The youth too must not lie back and wait for what we they normally call white collar jobs. They must wake up to the reality that getting a job has be-come elusive. They must strive to be self-employed and self-reliant. They must also refrain from drug and substance abuse. Khat has re-duced many especially the youth to a hopeless lot. We will also en-deavour to invest in recreational facilities. We will promote sport by building more stadia all over the county. Under my leadership I will make sure they are given the necessary capital via many avenues that will be available to us as a county to start SMEs and other beneficial projects. I will make sure they are represented in the management of the county funds and decision-making. I am told that masons in Wajir are from down country. What happened to our jobless youth? I will make sure they get the necessary training and have positive impact on their lives. I will agitate for the woman enter-prise funds to be interest free. As Muslims it is paramount we em-brace Islamic-compliant financial services. Lately it has been argued that women are the drivers of Wa-jir economy. We will make sure we empower and give them the fi-nancial muscle to do business and give equal opportunity for jobs.

We must also allow our girls to go schools. Our health sector is in tatters. Our hospitals and health centers are in a complete shambles. Our people die of curable diseases. We have to, therefore overhaul our health sector. Build more hospitals, adequately staff and avail drugs. Peace and cohesion of the county will be of great importance under my leadership. We must embrace oneness at all times. There are national fears that the county system may trigger some disharmony among many communities over resource allocations. Already there are skirmishes in various parts of the region. And such issues can further be compounded by skewed distribution of the said resources. We cannot therefore af-ford tribal skirmishes that bring unnecessary displacements, deaths and discord among the communities. But I am assuring that we will stand for peace, fairness and transparency. Our diversity will be our strengths.Wajir shares borders with Somalia which has remained lawless for years. We will make sure that the borders are properly manned to ensure that our people are safe. On the other hand, we can engage in constructive bilateral trade between the County and Somalia. Who said anything from Somalia is always illegal? We can open a KRA office at the entry to help facilitate trade.Finally, there are misconceptions that I favour some candidates for par-ticular seats in the County. Nothing can be further from the truth. Let me confirm here that I will respect the choice and the aspirations of the people.Finally, my slogan during my tenure as MP has been “MWALIMU PE-KEE” it now takes nothing less than “YES WE CARE”. Thank you and May Allah bless you abundantly.


Eye on 2013


sources that would have been utilised in those sectors were diverted to security operations.The security situation had greatly improved in recent years but the Al-Shabaab threat which has led to Operation Linda Nchi is once again haunting Wajir.Trade and free movement of people have been cur-tailed. Education also suf-fers and this has also been raised the other day when KNUT called on all teach-ers in counties on the So-malia border to abandon classes.Wajir County is home to half of the country's camel population and yet there is no market for the camel herders.

With the new dispensation, there is renewed hope for Wajir and the residents will look upon good leadership and management.

Major (Rtd) Abdullahi is a security consultant based in Nairobi. This article previ-ously appeared in the Daily Nation.


Some illegal firearms impounded in Wajir recently. Photo/courtesy

I discovered his secret marriage through Facebook A real life story By Hasna Hassan

“Yes, it was very bitter reality to accept, but I faced it. I was there!” This was the answer of Nadia (not her real name) when I asked her about how she looked upon her life a year after discovering her husband's secret marriage.Nadia, like many women, was liv-ing an ordinary life with her hus-band and four children. But one day, her martial life had turned upside down when she realized by coincidence that her husband had a secret second marriage.When I asked her to share how she coped, the first memories she was telling me are so painful. Dur-ing the interview, Nadia repeated many times that she could not for-get one fact, which is “my husband concealed a secret from me!”“My husband was my university colleague; we were engaged for three years before we got married. He was a handsome gentleman who loved me at first sight. I was the happiest person in the world when he showed his interest to have me as a life partner." Nadia recalled old days with a pale smile on her lips."I still remember the day when he came to my house and proposed me for marriage. My father liked him and said he is a smart faithful man. Arranging for our marriage, I was over the moon counting days to be with him. By Allah’s support, everything went smoothly, and be-fore the end of our third year en-gagement we managed to make it. Finally, we were married!"The first four years of Nadia’s

marital life were the happiest. She was so proud of herself and her husband every time she was hear-ing her friends calling them “the perfect couple”.Her husband was so kind, very caring, and loving. After deliver-ing her first baby, life changed gradually for Nadia. Her husband started to spend most of his time at work. Nadia, however, did her best to support her husband. “I never complained; I always showed great understanding. My husband justi-fied his long working hours saying that work will secure our financial needs.”"Years passed and we had three more children." Nadia continued."Kids were more than enough to make my days busy. Gradually I used to my husband’s absence. We did not have free time to spend together; every now and then I re-called with him our love story and the happy days when life was not crowded with kids, work, and oth-er commitments."

"At this stage, I was still loving and caring for him, although my life turned to be boring. I always tried to be patient remembering how much he loves me even if he was no longer expressing this love. But after a while I couldn’t make a balance and I became very nervous most of the time."My husband felt my mood change, by then he tried to soothe me, to bring back his sweet calm wife. But, this improvement didn’t last for long.""My elder son loves computer very much; he spends most of his leisure time on the internet. I used to quarrel with him over this is-sue asking him to divide his time between various activities but no avail.""One day, my son came to me with a pale face and a shaky voice. He said: "Mum, I want to tell you something serious.” At the begin-ning, I thought he has a problem in the school; but it scared me to

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Relationship


see that words were coming hardly to my son’s lips. I pressed him to tell me what this "serious issue" is. He began to speak in a sad voice: “As you know I spend much time chatting with my friends and mak-ing new online friendships through Facebook, about three weeks ago, I found a girl whose name resem-bles my second and last names .So I sent a friendship request to this girl out of curiosity.""I wanted to know who she is," my boy narrated."At these moments Nadia was try-ing to figure out her son’s talk but she couldn’t. The idea that her hus-band is having other children did not even knock the door of her im-agination. However, she was very curious to know who this girl is!"The girl accepted my friendship; she was also surprised to find out that I have the same second and last names. After talking with her, I knew that she is my sister!" Na-dia’s son stopped talking at this point."I couldn’t understand what my son was telling me. What he meant by “his sister”. I thought this girl may create an account with a fake name. I was strangled to see my elder son crying while telling me that: "No mom, dad has another wife and a daughter". I asked him with a crazy loud voice "and how did you know? She just told you that she is your sister?!""No mom, she doesn’t even know that I am her brother, but I asked her to show me her family’s pho-tos; I saw photos of hers, her moth-er, and my daddy. He is her father.""At this point, I left my son and went to my room. I closed the door and burst into tears. My heart was broken, my feelings were deeply hurt and my mind was very angry.""I picked up the phone and called my husband, I shouted at him to

come home at once. Thirty min-utes was the duration of my wait-ing for him to come home, but I felt as if they were thirty years. I wished he would say that there is a misunderstanding!""My tears couldn’t stop, and my heart was beating quickly and loudly." Nadia painfully said. "When my husband came, he was shocked to see me in such a condi-tion. I confronted him and he didn’t deny anything. He confessed that he was married to a second wife 10 years ago. His second wife is his colleague at work; he couldn’t help but loved her.""He told me that he never intend-ed to hurt me. But at this moment even his words were increasing my pains and destroying me deep in-side. I couldn’t imagine how I can spend fifteen years of my life with a person who kept secrets from me."Nadia left her husband’s house seeking divorce. But, five months later she came back after deep thinking about her children and how they would suffer if their par-ents got separated.She accepted the reality as it is. Be-ing a faithful woman, Nadia could not ask her husband to divorce his second wife; instead, she focused on coping with the new situation."I am convinced with this deci-sion. My mind found it the most reasonable option. I chose to build instead of destroying; and I am sure that Allah will reward me for standing up for my family." Nadia concluded her story. (onislam.net)


Relationship


ALL WE NEED IS PEACE.

There’s something we should doThat’s not been done

Something we can winThat’s not been won

Something we can SHOUT OUTTo end all their brutal war games

We Want Peace

Case for war was fake, Don’t let it fade

More lives can be savedGot to be brave

Something we can shout out, We want peace, and we want it right

nowTalking is Free

All we want is PeaceAll we need is Peace

All we ask is Peace, PleasePeace is all we want

All we crave is PeaceAll we miss is PeaceAll we lack is PeacePeace is all we want

Something we can ask, Before it’s blown

Something we can growBefore it’s grown

Small green shoots of PeaceTo educate next infancy

Believe me

All we want is PeaceAll we crave is Peace

All we wish is Peace, please

Peace is all we askIt’s not a big task

Believe meIt’s easy.

All we want is Peace, All we want is Peace,

All we need is Peace, All we need is Peace.

Peace is all we want, Peace is all we wantPeace is all we need,

Peace is all we need………………

Source, www.worldpeom.comBy Abass Adan

"When my husband came, he was shocked to see me in such a condition. I confront-ed him and he confessed that he was married to a sec-ond wife 10 years ago.

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Documents

Eye - Wajirwajir.org/wajir live/09 - Wajir Live - sept-nov 2012.pdfAbass Mohamed, an aspiring MP Wajir East” story on page 4. “I am sincerely undertaking to propel Wajir County